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Gordon didn't call until the next morning.

Dean made a dive for the mobile as soon as it began to ring, scooping it up before Sam could reach it and putting it to his ear. Across from him, Vicky stood up quickly, running both hands through her hair in anxiety.

"What happened to 'I'll call in three hours,' Gordon?" Dean demanded furiously.

Gordon laughed. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Dean," he said. "I got busy."

Dean swallowed hard. He could imagine exactly what 'busy' meant. He kept his eyes on the ground, glad that he hadn't put his mobile on loudspeaker again. Still, as he asked his next question he could practically feel the air in the room thicken with fear.

"Is he still alive?"

"Wait, let me check..."

Dean scowled furiously. "You're a sadistic bastard, you know that?"

Gordon laughed again. "Yeah, he's alive," he replied flippantly. "Have you thought any more about what I said last night?"

Dean paused. "I... look, Gordon, you can't ask us to make that choice. We need to at least talk face to face."

Gordon hesitated. Dean shut his eyes, fearing he'd blown it, but then Gordon spoke again.

"Fine. Tomorrow, midday at our pals old nest."

"Tomorrow?" Dean repeated. "Why not today?"

"I don't think so... Amy and I are rather enjoying Opium's stay with us."

"Gordon-"

Gordon hung up. Dean sighed heavily and lowered the mobile. Sam and Vicky leapt on him within a second.

"Well? What did he say?"

"Is Opium okay? Did Gordon let him say anything?"

Dean turned to face them, shaking his head. "Didn't hear from him. Gordon's agreed to meet tomorrow face to face, but I couldn't get him to meet sooner."

Sam shook his head. "Then Lusing's our best hope for now. I haven't heard from him since last night."

"I don't know, Sam," Dean muttered. "The guy turned his own brother over to a hunter. What makes you think we can trust him?"

Sam just shrugged. Vicky spoke suddenly, her voice wavering.

"What... what's Gordon doing to him?"

Sam and Dean exchaned a short glance. Sam spoke first.

"Look, Vicky, we're going to get him back. We're going to fix this, you hear me?"

She just looked away.

Afternoon came and went, dissolving slowly into evening. Sam, Dean and Vicky had nothing to do but wait. Dean alternated between pacing, messing about with his guns and muttering about how things would almost definately work out before adding an 'unless.' Vicky was worse. She spent most of her time just sitting at the table, her eyes continuously red with unshed tears, her hands picking at the tabletop. Sam sat on the sofa, trying to think of something to say that would help. Trying and failing...

His mobile suddenly rang and he picked it up, looking at the ID. He glanced meaningfully at Dean and Vicky, who were watching him, and then answered.

"Lusing," he said. "Tell me you've got something."

"I've found him."

Lusing's voice was slightly breathless, as if he had been running. Sam could hear the emotions he was struggling to hold back hovering in his voice. He was surprised the vampire hadn't just charged in without bothering to call at all.

"You're sure?"

"I know the scent of my own brother, Winchester. Gordon was trying to mask it but we found it... eventually."

Sam felt a small smile flicker across his face. He knew Lusing and his colony had been out all day searching. The vampire wouldn't have called unless he was sure.

"Okay. What's the address?" He scribbled it down on the back of his hand as Lusing said it. "We're on our way now. And remember, don't do anything until we get there, alright?"

Lusing grunted and then hung up. Sam rose to his feet, and without so much as a word between them the three of them headed for the door.

They had been planning this all day. Sam and Dean would go on ahead and meet up with the vampires, then close in around Gordon's place and cut off any escape routes. Vicky would follow at a distance. As soon as they got clear with Opium, Vicky would pick him up in her car and get him away from the area while the others finished with Gordon. They had no idea what Gordon would be expecting, or what kind of protection he had, and so their plan was irritably restricted. Dean hated it when they had to just fire in the dark like this. It was clear from his tense, anxious silence, the way he shoved the Impala into gear and roared off into the road as fast as he could.

The address Lusing had given them was in a neighbourhood on the edge of town. Dean drove fast, and the journey there was uncomfortably silent. Sam bit his lip, and then broke the quiet as they neared the area.

"Dean... we can take Gordon."

Dean ran his tongue over his lips. "I know. With the vampire colony behind us we'll be able to do it..." he paused. "Sam... I don't want you going anywhere near Gordon."

Sam sighed heavily. He'd been afraid of this. "Dean, I'm not just going to sit back and watch. You can't just cut me out of this-"

"I'm not going to," Dean interrupted. "But I don't want you fighting him, okay? Leave that to the vampires. When we get there, the vampires and I will draw Gordon out. Then - and only then - you go in and get Opium, and then get off the scene with Vicky. Got it?"

"Dean-"

"I promise I'll follow you straight after I see you get clear. Sammy, please," Dean added.

Sam caved at the use of his nickname. He sighed again, and then nodded. "Fine. I'll do it, alright?"

Dean didn't say anything. The gentle purr of the Impala seemed hushed as Dean urged her along the dark, deserted streets of the neighborhood. Sam, already armed with a two large knives attatched to his belt, began to fiddle nervously with his gun. He needed to keep it together for Dean, otherwise his brother would probably restrain him from joining the fight at all. He fixed his gaze on the houses slipping past him. Suddenly, his mobile went off again and he reached for it.

"Hello?"

"We can see you. Pull over."

The call disconected at once, but not before Sam recognized Lusing's voice. He relayed the order to Dean, who smoothly pulled over and parked the Impala on the side of the road. As they stepped out of the car, Lusing appeared in the gap between two of the houses on the opposite side of the road. The Winchesters made their way over to him. Three vampires stood behind him, apparently all that was left of the colony now. They were eyeing the brothers hopefully, running their tongues over their pearly fangs, but said nothing.

"Took your time," Lusing growled. "Do you even have a plan?"

Dean scowled at him. "Course we do. We'll draw Gordon out of the house while Sam gets in and finds Opium."

Lusing frowned. "Gordon's not that stupid. He won't leave Opium alone. He's got someone else working with him now, some Amy girl."

"I can deal with her," Sam said. "You just concentrate on your job."

Lusing's lip curled, but he didn't object again. Instead, he simply turned away and strode into the darkness of the tiny walkway running between the houses, his colony beside him. Sam and Dean exchanged a glance and then followed. It was clear that Dean was uncomfortable about working with Lusing, especially since the vampire had already double crossed his own brother. But they had no other choice.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

The walkway opened out onto another road. Directly opposite them was a house set slightly apart from the others, and with only one floor. There was no car parked outside, no sign of life at all but for a light on in a room near the back of the house.

"Where's Gordon?" Dean asked under his breath.

"We don't know," Lusing replied. "I don't think he's in the house."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other. This complicated things. Sam knew Dean would prefer not to go in unless he knew exactly where his enemey was.

"Well," he said. "No time like the present."

Dean looked at him. "Go for it?"

Sam nodded. "We might even get this over with before he comes back."

He doubted their luck would hold that long, but they had to try. Dean was still looking at him, his mouth slightly open as if all the fear in his head was about to spill out... but he made no sound. Sam touched his shoulder.

"I know," he said. "I'll be careful."

Without waiting another second, Sam stepped out of the shadows and raced across the road, reaching the house in a matter of moments. He reached the building and dived around the corner, pressing himself back against the wall.

He barely got there in time.

Even as he dropped down in the darkness at the side of the house, a car roared around the corner. Sam froze, his back flat against the cool bricks, holding his breath. The car stopped in front of the house, and Gordon stepped out of it. Sam's heart jerked in panic - all Gordon had to do was look up, and he would see him. But Gordon seemed far more interested in the carrier bag he was holding than the house. He was picking through it, as if worried that he had forgotten something. He reached the house and unlocked the door, pushing his way inside. Sam forced himself to remain still, his eyes tighty shut, his hands curled into fists at his sides. The light came on in the window directly above him and he suppressed a flinch. He waited... nothing happened.

He couldn't just sit here forever. He counted to thirty, and then slowly rose up on his knees and peered in through the window. He was looking into a kitchen. It was empty. Sam took a deep breath. Then he slid his knife into the join between the glass and the sill and jiggled it to the left. The catch clicked upwards and he slid the window open. He climbed inside as quietly as he could and landed on the balls of his feet on the kitchen floor, his heart pounding in his ears. He shut the window and then looked around. He was inside. Silently, Sam made his way over to the door and pressed himself against the wall beside it, waiting for a few moments before cautiously leaning out. The corridor beyond was deserted. Three doors led off from it, excusing the front door: two in the opposite wall and one in the back. It was the third door that caught Sam's attention. It had been fitted with several locks and bolts, all of which were currently undone. There was no noise from the other two rooms, and Sam was ready to bet his life that Gordon was behind door number three.

He was just about to move forwards and listen at the door when the screams began. Sam froze, recognizing Opium's voice at once. Scream after scream echoed from the door, and Sam clutched at the wall behind him in a desperate bid to make himself stay still. He couldn't just burst in, he had to wait for Dean. Otherwise he would be outnumbered... another scream, and then a sudden, unbearable silence. Sam strained his ears for something, anything... footsteps.

Sam cursed and threw himself into the room on his left, pushing the door shut but leaving a crack for him to look through. The door opened and Gordon reappeared, wiping at the blood on his hands. He made his way into the kitchen and Sam heard the sound of a tap running. The kitchen door swung shut behind him.

Sam couldn't bear to wait any longer.

He scrambled out of the room and made for the door, pulling it open cautiously. It made no noise. He could see a set of stone steps leading downwards. He stepped forwards cautiously, shutting the door behind him. He began to move down the steps, staring around the room. Flickering lights sent demonic shadows dancing over the walls, and the very air seemed to drip with fear and despair. Water ran down the walls from a leak somewhere higher up in the building. The smell of blood and sweat hung over everything like a curse. The room - well, basement - was large and square, with a work surface spreading along one wall complete with an assortment of weapons. A device remarkably like a dentist's chair stood in the centre of the room, a small table standing beside it and a large light above. The chair was currently occupied.

Holy shit...

Opium looked as if he should be dead. His eyes were squeezed shut in agony and his hands clutched at the arms of the chair so tightly that his knuckles stood out white against his pale skin. A pentagram had been carved into his chest, dripping thick, dark blood down onto the floor. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and several other deep gashes marking his arms. Every so often the vampire's veins seemed to pulse, arching against his skin like black spiderwebs. Sam's stomach lurched at the sight of him. Why, why, why didn't we get here sooner? he screamed at himself.

There was a woman - Amy, he supposed - standing beside Opium. As Sam reached the bottom of the stairs, she suddenly spoke.

"I wish you would tell him," she said, almost to herself. "These Winchesters are hunters too, aren't they? What possible reason could you have for protecting them?"

Opium's eyes flickered open suddenly, reflecting the light so that they appeared to glow slightly in the darkness. Sam moved forwards silently, pulling his gun from his pocket. Opium's chest heaved slightly as he glared at Amy. His eyes slid away from her - and found Sam. Sam offered him a quick smile as he reached Amy, standing directly behind her. If she hadn't been so engrossed in Opium, she surely would have noticed him by now. She suddenly grew rigid, and Sam darted forwards, closing his hand over her mouth.

"Its a little something called loyalty," he snapped. His voice shook with hatred and disgust. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

He brought the butt of his gun down hard on the back of her head and she slumped to the ground, unconscious. Sam stepped over her lifeless form and reached down to grip Opium's shoulder. The vampire blinked at him, his eyes glazed and unfocussed with pain.

"Hey, man," Sam said softly, putting his gun down. "Don't worry: I'm getting you out of here."

He began to pull off the cuffs on the arms of the chair. Opium made no move to get up, not even when Sam had finished.

"C'mon, Opium," Sam said, shaking his shoulder as gently as he could. "We gotta go. Hey!"

Opium moaned weakly. Sam hesitated and then slipped his arm behind the vampire's back and pulled him up into a sitting position. Opium gasped with pain, his fangs suddenly forcing their way from his jaw. Sam almost let go, but forced himself to remain in position. He quickly shrugged off his jacket and pulled it onto the vampire.

"You're bleeding pretty badly," Sam muttered, trying to take his attention off Opium's glistening fangs. God, when was the last time the vampire had fed? Sam did not want to turn this rescue mission into dinner for one. He pulled at the vampire's arm. "Opium, man, we have to leave. The others can only hold Gordon off for so long. You need to start moving, okay?"

Opium was staring into space, his mouth hanging open, his fangs huge and terrifying. He took a few shuddering breaths. Sam glanced down at Amy, wondering how long it would be before she woke up. Long enough for them to get out? Hopefully. Opium suddenly nodded.

"K-Kay," he rasped.

Sam relaxed, relieved to have been given a response however short it was. Opium pulled himself towards the edge of the chair, and Sam eased him down from it as gently as he could. He could still see the agony written all over Opium's rigid form.

"We're just going to go straight up the stairs and straight outta the house, okay?" Sam told him, pulling an arm over his shoulder to support him.

Opium leant heavily on him, barely supporting his own weight at all. Sam's anxiety was growing rapidly. It was becomming painfully obvious that Opium was in a much worse state than any of them had expected. If he couldn't even stand up alone, it was going to be much harder to get him out without Gordon noticing. Sam tried to push the traitorous thoughts away. He just had to keep going here. They made their slow way up the stairs and out into the corridor beyond. The front door was hanging open, shouts and yells errupting from the road outside. Sam decided to go out through the kitchen again. It would be harder, but hopefully that meant that they would remain out of sight.

He led them into the kitchen and over to the window. He pulled it open again and looked at Opium.

"Maybe you should go first. I'll help you through and then follow after, okay?"

Blood was trickling from Opium's lips, dripping onto the floor. The vampire gave a small jerk of his head that could have been a nod or a denial. Sam stepped forwards - and the kitchen door banged open. Sam whirled around, still clutching Opium.

Gordon stood in the doorway, blood caking the side of his head. He teeth were bared in fury, and his hands were shaking. Before Sam could even speak, Gordon lifted his gun and took aim, his eyes filled with a murderous hatred which clearly told Sam what was going to happen next.

Dean!

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